Painting Fields~ Awakening

Awakening, 30 x 25 oil painting by Melody Phaneuf

~

I am enjoying a relationship with the Genius Loci of these fields. With quiet attention comes a deeper understanding of Nature and a sense of well-being. Continue reading~

~

Melody Phaneuf is an award-winning Boston Artist, well known for her evocative still life, landscape, and portrait paintings. She has exhibited at The National Arts Club in New York City, Galerie Herouet in Paris, and with Art du Monde, in Japan. Her paintings are regularly on view at The Guild of Boston Artists in Boston, Ma; North Shore Arts in Gloucester, Ma; and Patricia Hutton Galleries in Doylestown, Pa.

Phaneuf maintains a studio at Fenway Studios in Boston, where she paints and holds workshops, continuing the Boston School lineage.

Make Your Life a Work of Art~
Schedule a studio visit
Commission a painting
Shop online
Learn to paint
facebook
twitter

~

Plein Air Painting in Gloucester

with Melody Phaneuf

June 4, 11, 18 & 25 2011

~

~

There is truth and freshness in painting outdoors. Learn to translate the immediacy of mood and light on the landscape into oil paint with Melody Phaneuf in Gloucester, Ma, Saturdays in June.

We will focus on completing a small painting each session, from 8:30-11:00.

Workshop meets at the Visitor Center in Gloucester at 8:30 AM on Saturdays,
June 4, 11, 18 & 25 2011. There is parking at the center. A list of supplies will be provided.

Cost is $250~ bring a friend and you both save $50.

Contact:
Melody Phaneuf, 617 236 4322 or email Melody

~

Boston Artist, Melody Phaneuf is well known for her evocative still life, landscape, and portrait paintings. Her paintings are regularly on view at The Guild of Boston Artists, 162 Newbury Street; at Fenway Studios, Boston by appointment; and North Shore Art in Gloucester from May through October. Phaneuf ‘s paintings have been exhibited at The National Arts Club in New York City, Galerie Herouet in Paris, and with Art du Monde, in Japan.

Melody The Artist Home, founded with photographer and color specialist, Martha DiMeo, features Phaneuf’s original oil paintings on tumbled marble tile murals and beverage coasters, fine art prints, and handmade note cards.

Make Your Life a Work of Art~
Online shopping at MelodyTheArtist.com/shop

Schedule a studio visit
Commission a painting
Participate in a workshop
facebook
twitter

~

Twelve Days of Christmas Featured Painting

Into the Field, Oil Painting by Melody Phaneuf

~

Today’s Featured Painting, Into the Field, is one of my favorites included in the 12 Days of Christmas offering. As a student, I copied paintings at the Museum of Fine Arts. I was attracted by the work of Dennis Miller Bunker and copied his field paintings. Analyzing and emulating his technique of applying paint in separate brushstrokes illuminated my concept of color. Continue reading~

~

Boston Artist, Melody Phaneuf is well known for her evocative still life, landscape, and portrait paintings. Her paintings are regularly on view at The Guild of Boston Artists, 162 Newbury Street; at Fenway Studios, Boston by appointment; and North Shore Art in Gloucester from May through October. Phaneuf ‘s paintings have been exhibited at The National Arts Club in New York City, Galerie Herouet in Paris, and with Art du Monde, in Japan.

Melody The Artist Home, founded with photographer and color specialist, Martha DiMeo, features Phaneuf’s original oil paintings on tumbled marble tile murals and beverage coasters, fine art prints, and handmade note cards.

Download our free 2010 Calendar
Commission a painting
facebook
twitter

~

After The Storm

After The Storm, Oil Painting by Melody Phaneuf
~

I love the angle of the sun on February snow. Crisp blue shadows and glistening light at this time of year create stimulating patterns that dance their way through the landscape. All is melting and moving, transitioning toward equinox.

Visually, the white blanket does much to unify the landscape, hiding discordant tones and textures. The reflective surface of snow catches the sunlight and stretches the warm/cool relationship of colors. It heightens the value key to high major and makes our hearts sing.

After The Storm pictures a charming moment in Gloucester, when roadway reveals the land’s meandering companionship to the sea. Hills, houses, light and shadow combine to display a sparkling pattern that brings delight. A dog walker emerges and adds a touch of animation. After The Storm is a glimpse of winter’s fleeting enchantment.


After The Storm, by Melody Phaneuf
11 x 16 Oil Painting $1600
Also available in Open Edition Print

~

Artist, Melody Phaneuf is well known for her evocative still life, landscape, and portrait paintings. Her work is regularly on view at The Guild of Boston Artists, 162 Newbury Street; at Fenway Studios, Boston by appointment; and North Shore Art in Gloucester from May through October. Phaneuf ‘s paintings have been exhibited at The National Arts Club in New York City, Galerie Herouet in Paris, and with Art du Monde, in Japan.

Melody The Artist Home, founded with photographer and color specialist, Martha DiMeo, features Phaneuf’s original oil paintings on tumbled marble tile murals and beverage coasters, fine art prints, and handmade note cards.

Make Your Life a Work of Art~
Online shopping at MelodyTheArtist.com/shop

Download our free 2010 Calendar
Commission a painting of a favorite landscape
Be a facebook fan of MelodyTheArtist.com
Follow MelodyTheArtist on twitter

~

Painting on Location~ The Netherlands

The quest to discover new environs is a terrific source of artistic inspiration. Putting everything on hold for a few weeks for the purpose of hunting and gathering new glimpses of the world refreshes the artist’s eye.

There is much to see in the Netherlands~ from the intricate architecture to the enormous sky that hovers over the seemingly endless flat land below sea level. Windmills and canals are evidence of the determination and ingenuity of the Dutch in creating terra firma for an expanding population and verdant farmlands.

In the coming weeks there is much to do to in the studio to make these studies into larger gallery paintings. It is joyful work and a delight to revisit this journey; each little study is a visual diary of a magical experience.


Study of Amsterdam, 8 x 10 oil painting by Melody Phaneuf
Study of Windmills, 8 x 10 oil painting by Melody Phaneuf

~

Melody Phaneuf is well known for her evocative landscape, still life, and portrait paintings. Her work is regularly on view at The Guild of Boston Artists, 162 Newbury Street, at Fenway Studios, Boston by appointment, and North Shore Art in Gloucester from May through October. Phaneuf has exhibited her paintings at The National Arts Club in New York City, Galerie Herouet in Paris, and with Art du Monde, in Japan.

Melody The Artist Home, founded with photographer and color specialist, Martha DiMeo showcases the artist’s original paintings on tumbled marble tile murals and coasters, fine art prints, and handmade note cards. Online ordering at MelodyTheArtist.com/shop

Follow Melody on twitter
Become a facebook fan
Visit Melody’s studio
Commission a painting by Melody

Reflections~ Artful Prescription For Anxiety

Anxiously awaiting her appointment with a specialist after a questionable X-ray, my friend became absorbed in a landscape painting in the doctor’s office. After a few moments contemplating the painting she felt her tensions dissolve.

Using imagery to focus the mind and center emotions is hardly a new idea. Eastern cultures developed intricate mandalas as meditative tools; arabesques adorning the walls of mosques were intended to induce ecstasy in the viewer by virtue of hypnotic eye movement. Here, image is the handmaiden of intention.

Composing paintings with intention demands from the artist a selective eye when painting outdoors in Nature. All aspects~ shapes, colors, direction, and lighting must align with subject matter to express the intention. In Reflections, I sought to prompt a calm and meditative state in the viewer. A glimpse of docked boats reflected in gently lapping water seemed a perfect visual metaphor.

Gloucester harbor is here shown in a quiet, diffused light. Contrasts of color and value are subdued; edges softened, giving objects a dreamy, ethereal quality. The oblong shape of the canvas and horizontality of the pier and boats contribute to the quiet in Reflections. Eye movement is gentle and slow, paced by the handling of the brush strokes. Reflections is a statement of tranquility.

Melody Phaneuf is well known for her evocative landscape, still life, and portrait paintings. Her paintings are regularly on view at The Guild of Boston Artists, 162 Newbury Street, at Fenway Studios, Boston by appointment, and North Shore Art in Gloucester from May through October. Phaneuf has exhibited her paintings at The National Arts Club in New York City, Galerie Herouet in Paris, and with Art du Monde, in Japan.

Melody The Artist Home, founded with photographer and color specialist, Martha DiMeo showcases the artist’s original paintings on tumbled marble tile murals and coasters, fine art prints and note cards. Online ordering at MelodyTheArtist.com/shop

Reflections, oil painting by Melody Phaneuf, 28 x 20

Follow Melody on twitter
Become a facebook fan
Visit Melody's studio

Related~

• Effects of Art on Emotion
• Using Mandalas to Focus the Mind
• Emotional Effects of Color

Painting Gloucester Harbor~ Morningtide

The many faces of Gloucester provide endless variety for the landscape artist to paint. Here, on the harbor, the wild beauty of the sea is tamed and harnessed. Rugged boats and machinery, equipment for the fishing trade, replace majestic waves and limber shoreline. The harbor in Gloucester is the hub of the fishing industry, which, though diminished, remains steadfast.

The landscape painting, Morningtide, reflects a characteristic glimpse of Gloucester’s working harbor. Old and sturdy houses are firmly planted in the hill, their watchful windows positioned for returning seamen with several days catch. Stout boats, the powerful Sumo wrestlers of titanic hauls of fish, rest here reflecting the light. It’s breezy, the water is choppy, it is barely spring.

The Cool crisp, and somewhat harsh morning light imparts contrast, patterning the shapes with a pulsating beat. Continuous oppositions of triangle/rectangle, dark/light, warm/cool, interrupt pathways of yellow, red, and blue-gray. The resulting syncopation in the design evokes the feeling of this neighborhood surrounding Gloucester’s well-worn harbor. It is here that tourists and artists flock, to savor a taste of life in this mythic fishing community.

A tourist detail~ the two-toned building to the left of the blue triangular blue one, houses the now famous Crow’s Nest, featured in The Perfect Storm, book by Sebastian Junger. The Crow's Nest open this morning, continuing the saga worthy of a novel.

Morningtide represents the ruggedness of generations indentured to the sea, one thread in the rich fabric of all that is Gloucester.

Melody Phaneuf is well known for her evocative Gloucester landscape paintings. Phaneuf works on location and at historic Fenway Studios, Boston, MA, painting still life and portraiture. Phaneuf has exhibited at Galerie Herouet in Paris, The National Arts Club in New York City, and with Art du Monde, a traveling exposition in Japan. Phaneuf’s paintings are regularly displayed at North Shore Arts, Gloucester, MA and The Guild of Boston Artists, Boston, MA.

Melody The Artist Home, founded with photographer and color specialist, Martha DiMeo showcases the artist’s original paintings on tumbled marble tile murals and coasters, fine art prints and handmade note cards. Online ordering at MelodyTheArtist.com/shop

Morningtide, oil painting by Melody Phaneuf, 30 x 25
To purchase Morningtide, contact Melody

Follow Melody on twitter
Become a facebook fan
Visit Melody’s studio

Related~

• Historic Gloucester
• The Perfect Storm and The Andrea Gale
• 150 Years of Cape Ann Artistry

The Art of Hand-Written Notes

We keep them for weeks or sometimes years. We display them on the refrigerator, come across them in drawers and bookcases. Like revisiting a favorite place, we open and read them again. Hand-written notes touch us because they are expressions of caring.

How my spirit soars as I reread a note from a former teacher and much-admired artist:

Dear Melody,

Just a note to say how very fine your 3 winter rooftops appear at the Guild~
You have taken your gift for design into the landscape & done so with a handsome, restrained color scheme.

They are First Rate!!!

Best Regards,
Bob

Taking the time to write a short, kind note when it isn’t expected stirs us, opening portals of connection. I celebrate Valentine’s Day by writing notes to honor friendships and the work of others. Whatever the sentiments of the correspondence may be, the unspoken message of a hand-written note is “you matter to me.”


Melody Phaneuf is a Boston Artist, working at Fenway Studios. Phaneuf is well known for her evocative still life and landscape paintings and has achieved significant acclaim for portraiture. She has exhibited at Galerie Herouet in Paris, The National Arts Club in New York City, and with Art du Monde, a traveling exposition in Japan. Phaneuf’s paintings are regularly displayed at The Guild of Boston Artists, 162 Newbury Street, Boston, MA.

Melody The Artist Home, founded with photographer and color specialist, Martha DiMeo showcases the artist’s original paintings on tumbled marble tile murals and coasters, fine art prints and note cards. Online ordering at MelodyTheArtist.com/shop

Featured Above~ Rhythms And Red, handmade note cards, from the original oil painting by Melody Phaneuf

Related Links~

• Business Note Etiquette
• The Habit of Personal Notes
• The Tradition of Valentine Notes

Threshold

Magical Brittany. The forests of Haute Bretagne are mysterious doors to a rhapsodic world of emotion. For the artist seeking evidence of the Divine in nature, it is here that brushes in hand, one can embrace the Creator.

The misty morning light penetrates; erases dark pillars and interweaves a carpet of shadowed geometry. The boundary between woodland and meadow evaporates in the lemony mist and resonates of a half-remembered Paradise.

I love these thresholds. Evocative of entering, leaving and passage, Brittany Forest is a blissful transition to the light.

Brittany Forest by Melody Phaneuf, Boston
20 x 16 Oil Painting